discovery of earliest known chicago urban privy pit or vault yields remarkable finds

earlier this week i discovered a downtown chicago privy pit that dates from 1830's-1850's, based on the pockets of artifacts or fragments found therein. the artifacts were situated by a haphazard arrangement of early clay bricks, likely used as infill when the privy or trash pit was covered over. this is a remarkable find considering chicago became a city in 1837.

perhaps the most striking find thus far has been two partially intact scroll design flasks in golden amber and aqua green glass. early american flasks were often used to hold spirits (i.e., whiskey) or gun powder. both flasks exhibit open pontil scar bases, but the amber-colored flask pontil is remarkably pronounced and unbelievably crude. not surprisingly, only one other flask has ever been dug and documented in the city of chicago to date.

i've been consumed for the past several days with this discovery, with each day yielding more fragments and insight into the daily lives of the occupants who resided in this area. at least a hundred fragments have been carefully removed, and my guess is that the artifacts were likely discarded by a either a single, or possibly a few families living on a large parcel of land in the heart of downtown chicago, sometime between the 1830's-1860's.

the expansive site is currently being excavated in preparation for a high-rise condominium building that will likely be completed in 2016. the majority of the fragments were found along the wall of a trench line, where strips of shallow concrete footings were being poured. additional artifacts from the 1860's onward were retrieved in other areas, during soil assessments prior to excavation for impact driven piles (i.e., deep foundation).

i was taken aback by the shear quantity and variety of early american and english earthenware (likely transported to chicago via eastern schooners filled with general household goods). these were found in numerous pockets in and around the bricks. unfortunately, not a single vessel, jar, glass, plate, etc., survived intact when retrieved from the earth. nonetheless, i managed to find enough fragments to put together largely intact flow blue earthenware, mochaware (most of it hand-painted in the "cat's eye" pattern), and other richly colored engraved transferware (several pieces were likely imported from the staffordshire region in england).

during the time-consuming daily digs, i didn't find nearly as much glassware because there was so much brick to remove or navigate around. exceptions included the two partially intact open-pontiled flasks, a largely intact (after repairs) iron-pontiled clarke and white mineral water bottle from new york, a small collection of flint glass tumblers and a few goblets. the example shown below is a half pint crystal bar tumbler attributed to m'kee & brothers, flint glass manufacturers, pittsburgh, pa. 

aside from the piles of brick, stone, industrial by-products, and dirt, i came across so many animal bones that i lost track. i'm not a big fan of bones, despite my science background, so i didn't collect them. it's no doubt an important piece of the puzzle, especially in terms of what these early chicagoans consumed at the dinner table, but i just will not take the time to collect and document the bones.

i have a strong feeling this will very likely be my last heavily documented "dig story" since i've convinced myself that i have collected enough data - both in images and artifacts - from around the city to put together my second publication, entitled "unearthing chicago." with more time on hand, i can prepare for the next publications in this series, titled "deconstructing chicago" and "salvaged chicago." i hope to have these books published by the end of 2016.